Kim Jong-il threatens to Strike South Korea via Fax

December 22, 2013

North Korea has threatened to strike South Korea in response to conservatives’ anti-Pyongyang rallies here on the second death anniversary of its leader Kim Jong-il earlier this week, a senior military official said Friday.

The North’s powerful National Defense Commission on Thursday sent a fax to South Korea’s National Security Council through the western coastal military hotline to threaten to strike the South “without notice,” the official said.

The latest threat came after several conservative groups and North Korean defectors on Tuesday held rallies in Seoul to protest against North Korea’s authoritarian rule and human rights abuse, with some burning Kim Jong-un’s photo.

The North Korean military condemned that the rallies insulted North Korea’s “highest dignity,” referring to its young leader, who had recently ordered the execution of his uncle Jang Song-thaek to consolidate his grip on power.

The South Korean government immediately replied through the military line, vowing to “sternly react” to any provocations, the official said.